Thursday, October 25, 2012

The Chaperone by Laura Moriarty (audio)

The Chaperone is a captivating novel about the woman who chaperoned an irreverent Louise Brooks to New York City in 1922, and the summer that would change them both.

Only a few years before becoming a famous actress and an icon for her generation, a 15-year-old Louise Brooks leaves Wichita to make it big in New York. Much to her annoyance, she is accompanied by a thirty-six-year-old chaperone who is neither mother nor friend. Cora Carlisle is a complicated but traditional woman with her own reasons for making the trip. She has no idea what she’s in for: Young Louise, already stunningly beautiful and sporting her famous blunt bangs and black bob, is known for her arrogance and her lack of respect for convention. Ultimately, the five weeks they spend together will change their lives forever.

For Cora, New York holds the promise of discovery that might prove an answer to the question at the center of her being, and even as she does her best to watch over Louise in a strange and bustling city, she embarks on her own mission. And while what she finds isn’t what she anticipated, it liberates her in a way she could not have imagined. Over the course of the summer, Cora’s eyes are opened to the promise of the 20th century and a new understanding of the possibilities for being fully alive.

My thoughts: One summer can change a life. For Cora Carlisle, it was the summer of 1922 when she chaperoned a young Louise Brooks in New York City.

The Chaperone is a remarkable novel not only for its sense of time and place (New York City and Kansas in the early 20th century), but for its portrayal of Cora's personal growth and development as she searches for her roots, comes to terms with a loveless marriage, and begins to forge a new outlook on life. Her initial narrowness and naivete eventually give way to broader understanding, acceptance, and eventual happiness.

A beautiful novel - highly recommended.

A note on the audio production:There's no good lead-in, so here it is: I didn't love Elizabeth McGovern's narration of The Chaperone.

In fact, as much as I hate to admit it, her voice actually put me off in the beginning. The vast majority of listeners rave about this production, but McGovern's 'normal' accent seemed (to me) precious and affected at times, while her Kansas voice was simply grating. Do people really sound like that in Kansas? I don't know. However, by the end of the second CD, I'd grown accustomed to her narration (it's a far cry from Downton Abbey, folks) and settled in to enjoy the story.

Hi JoAnn! This sounds really wonderful and I so I just added to the wish list. I'll get it on paper. :) Btw, I've been having trouble commenting here so sometimes I just give up. I can't use my self-hosted site to comment, so need to log on to my old WordPress site for that. Just to let you know. Tc!

Claire! It's so nice to see you! I must have missed the feed change for your self-hosted sight, but have just added you to my reader. Also, I was having trouble with spam and changed some comment settings. Sorry to hear that has made it more difficult for you. I'm back to the original settings now... fingers crossed that the spammers don't find out ;-)

See I thought her narration was spectacular! I wonder if opinions have been swayed by their Downton Abby preferences? I have loved her as an actress since Ordinary People and She's Having a Baby. I know she was born and raised in Illinois, but has lived in London for quite some time. Well anyway, I loved everything about this reading experience. Such a deep, multi-faceted story that addresses so many issues!

I just listened to the audio sample and have decided it's not for me. I agree with you about EM's narration--It's pretty poor. I don't think I've heard people from Kansas speaking like that. Maybe North Dakota! If I read it, it will be in the print format.

Les - As much as I love EM, the print format may have the advantage here. Her Kansas accent actually has some characteristics reminiscent of upstate NY, so maybe it represents a 'type'.. but I've never been in North Dakota either.

And we were just talking on twitter about how audio can really affect a book. I do have the audio version of this one but I keep forgetting about it (or I keep getting pulled into readalongs). I didn't realize McGovern was the narrator but I can hear her voice in my head and can see what you mean. Glad you were still able to really enjoy the book despite the lackluster audio.